All right, we’re closing out the week with a trio of interesting stories... all of which have a long shadow.

First up is a report, from the Motion Picture Association of America, that reveals a shocking 50% decline in global physical media sales over the last five years. The market data comes from both the DEG (Digital Entertainment Group) and IHS Markit. The drop is in dollar amount, from $25.2 billion in 2014 to just $13.1 in 2018. And there is no sign whatsoever that physical 4K Ultra HD or any kind of 8K Blu-ray format is going to recover those losses. 4K, though popular with enthusiasts, is just 5.3% of current physical disc sales (regular DVD still accounts for nearly 60% of all disc sales worldwide). You can download the report here in PDF format.

This disc decline aside, overall home entertainment spending was up 16% last year, and the difference seems to be not individual digital media sales but rather cable subscriptions and subscriptions to online streaming services. The latter is obviously expected to continue growing in the years ahead, with Disney+, AppleTV+, and AT&T/WarnerMedia all launching new services. [Read on here...]

Meanwhile, the big news today is that Criterion has just announced their April Blu-ray release slate, which is set to include Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth (Cat #917 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Sergei Parajanov’s The Color of Pomegranates (Cat #918 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 4/17, and Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides (Cat #920 – Blu-ray and DVD) and Jim Jaramusch’s Dead Man (Cat #919 – Blu-ray and DVD) on 4/24. They’re also releasing Eclipse Series 46: Ingrid Bergman’s Swedish Years on DVD on 4/10, including The Count of the Old Town (1935), Dollar (1938), Intermezzo (1936), Walpurgis Night (1935), A Woman’s Face (1938), and June Night (1940). [Read on here…]

Now then, as expected, the FedEx man just showed up at the door with all four of Warner’s new Harry Potter 4K titles, as well as Fantastic Beasts 4K, and the BBC’s Planet Earth II 4K. So I’m going to dive right in and start reviewing those ASAP. Watch for them to be posted starting tomorrow. There are not enough hours in the day, let me tell you. [Read on here…]

All right, we’re closing out the week at CES 2017 with a couple of additional bits of 4K and industry-related news.

But first, Disney and Marvel have just officially announced the Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo, Digital SD, DVD, and On-Demand release of Doctor Strange on 2/28. The Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere release is expected on 2/14. Extras on the Blu-ray versions will include audio commentary by director Scott Derrickson, 5 deleted scenes (Strange Meets Daniel Drumm, Kaecilius Searches for Answers, The Kamar-Taj Courtyard, Making Contact, and Lost in Kathmandu), 5 featurettes (A Strange Transformation, Strange Company, The Fabric of Reality, Across Time and Space, and The Score-cerer Supreme), a Marvel Studios Phase 3 Exclusive Look, the Team Thor: Part 2 spoof (with Thor and his roommate, Darryl), and a gag reel. The Blu-rays will feature 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Per Disney tradition, the digital release will also include its own exclusive featurette (Through the Keyhole: The Science of the MCU). You can see the cover artwork for the Blu-ray versions left and below. [Read on here…]

All right, folks… today’s column here at The Digital Bits is going to be a long one, filled with no small amount of nostalgia.

The reason is this: Today marks the official 10th Anniversary of the Blu-ray Disc format. The first seven Blu-ray titles (from Sony, MGM, and Lionsgate) appeared in stores on this day back in 2006 (as it happens, 6/20/06 was a Tuesday). They included 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, xXx, Underworld: Evolution, and The Terminator. The first set-top Blu-ray player – Samsung’s BD-P1000 (SRP $999) – had been expected to street on 6/25, but actually arrived in stores on 6/19, just in time for the Tuesday software debut. Here at The Bits, I got my hands on the player and four titles that day – The Fifth Element, The Terminator, Lord of War, and Crash (those last two officially went on sale the following week). [Read on here…]

All right, I’ve finally had a week or so to process my experience of Ultra HD Blu-ray at CES 2016, so I wanted to offer a few thoughts and insights on it all – perspective filtered through my 20 years of experience working in and around this industry here at The Bits. [Read on here…]

Okay… back to CES 2015. Let’s talk 2014 home entertainment numbers today. The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) released its preliminary year-end report and the findings are interesting, if almost certainly what you would expect. [Read on here…]

We’ve got a BIG post for you guys today. Let’s start with some new release announcements…

First up, Warner Home Video has finally announced a pair of catalog Blu-ray titles to get excited about: The Big Red One and Memphis Belle are on the way on 5/16 (SRP $19.98 each). [Editor’s Note: We’ve checked with Warner Home Video sources and have confirmed that The Big Red One contains a remastered version of the film’s 113-minute Theatrical Cut in HD and – as a ‘special feature’ – the 169-minute Reconstruction version in SD only as well. That’s official, so FYI and make your plans accordingly.] Check out the cover artwork below. One assumes that any extras that were on the DVDs will carry over. [Read on here…]

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